To Infinity and Beyond…

I’ve done multiple (5k) Mud Runs but never the world famous ‘Camp Pendleton Mud Run‘, which is double the length. Every year I’ve wanted to run the event its been sold out so this year I decided to register on Midnight of New Years Eve, since registration opens Jan 1st.

I registered for a team and convinced 4 buddies to come along for the adventure. I’m glad I registered at midnight because registration was sold out when I checked in the morning. (Less than 9-hours later)

Our run started around 8am but they recommended you get on the base up to 2-hours early to avoid traffic and find a parking space. Traffic getting off the freeway was a nightmare but thanks to a friends advice we passed our intended off ramp, got back on the Freeway going ‘North’ and quickly entered the marine base.

The races were a bit delayed and as we were ushered into the starting corral, you could feel the anticipation increasing. We were finally let go and to start off the course they spray you with a huge fire hose. The run then stays mellow for the next 5 to 6 miles through some dirt trails, sand, across a river bed and up a HUGE hill.

It wasn’t until the last 2-miles that the obstacles and mud pits appeared. My favorite obstacle was a lake we had to wade across followed by a huge muddy hill we had to traverse up.

I upped my riding towards the end of September to prepare for the MS-Ride 150 ride which is less than 2-weeks away.

I did go for a 30+ mile ride on September 30th which I haven’t synced yet so total miles for the month are closer to 330 which puts me over 1,200 for the year. I’m hoping to put in another 100 miles this week, followed by 50 miles at the beginning of next week.

Then next Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will be full of ice baths, stretching and ART Therapy. Can’t wait to tackle another century!

The MS-Ride is a group of bikers committed to raising money and awareness for MS. I’ve done the ride the last 4-years and its one of my favorite events. The ride takes place over 2-days with the option of riding 100 or 150-miles. The first two years we did the 150 and then switched to the 100.

My goal this year is to go back to 150-miles as finishing a century in 1-day is an extremely satisfying experience.

I’m a Medal Junkie!

Here’s a breakdown of my miles through the beginning of September. My goal is to get another 400 miles in before the ride.

If you’re riding the MS-Ride and want to join the Armor Team, leave a message in the comment section. (Deadline is Oct 1st to join) You get a discounted Jersey and some cool Armor SWAG.

Mt San Gorgonio (known locally as Old Greyback) is the highest peak in Southern California. Its located in San Bernardino County and has an elevation of 11,503 ft.

I’m an avid shopper and fan of REI and subscribe to their ‘Gear Mail‘ which features sales and outdoor classes. One of the classes is ‘Mount Whitney Training Hikes‘ which feature progressive hikes to prepare one to eventually summit Mt. Whitney. The hikes they offer, in order of difficulty are.

Cucamonga Peak

Mt. Baldy

San Bernardino Peak

Mt. San Jacinto

San Gorgonio Mountain

I’ve always enjoyed hiking and I’m never one to pass up a challenge so climbing Mt Whitney is a goal I’ve set for myself. I thought ‘Old Greyback’ would be a good stepping stone to Whitney so I invited by buddy Jim and we signed up for the REI class.

The class meet at the trailhead at 6am and our two guides said we should hit the summit by 3pm and be back to the cars by 7pm. The hike up had its challenges but overall it wasn’t that bad. Out of 7 hikers we only had 2 that didn’t reach the top.

Me and Jim broke off from the group for the last mile and blazed a trail to the top. We got there around 2:30 and relaxed for 30-minutes. I then put on my knee brace rubbed on some BioFreeze and we started the descent down. We wanted to see how fast we could make the return trip so we ended up jogging a good portion of the trail. By the time we reached our cars it was a little before 6pm. (So our ascent took 7+ hours and our decent took less than 3 🙂 The distance was up and back was 19-miles with around 5,500 of elevation gain.

The views from the top were incredible and I highly recommend checking out the mountain. My next two hikes will most likely be San Bernardino and San Jacinto. After that, Its time to make my way to Whitney.

This was my 3rd year running it and it seems to get better every year. My training regiment wasn’t as intense as last year due to a knee injury so my only goal this year was to try and break 2-hours. Since I wasn’t trying for a new PR I thought I’d give Jeff Galloway’s Run-Walk-Run a try. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of energy I had throughout the race and I my body didn’t hit the 9-mile slump like it did the previous two years. I ended up finishing the race in 1:52:39 which was less than 3-minutes from my PR. 🙂

Celebration followed by Me and my friend John by going to to Story Tellers Cafe where I enjoyed a Farmers Market Breakfast Buffet.

Now with the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon done, its time to start training for my next few events.